Safety device.



H, G. HILLMAN.

SAFETY DEVlCE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 22. I911 1,171,338. Patented Feb. 8,1916.

HENRY G. HILIMAN, or NEW YORK, 1v; Y1, ASSIGNOB. TO JOHN 'rnrr'r CLARKE, or

' NEW YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY DEVICE.

Application filed-April 22, 1911.

and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Devices, of which the following is a full,

clear, and-exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make andv use the same.

This invention relates to safety devices, and with regard to the more specific features thereof, a device or apparatus adapted to be applied to vehicles.

One of the objects of the present 1nvention is to provide a simple and practical device whereby a movement of the vehicle is impossible when the entrances thereto are unprotected against the-entrance or exit of passengers.

Another object is to provide a safety device that will be cheap to construct and inexpensive to install.

A further object is 'to provide a device of the above character particularly. applicable to electrically operated elevators.

Another object is to provide an improved and practical arrangement of electric C11- cuits in safety devices for electric elevators Other objects will be in part obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out; I

' The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements and arrangement 'of parts which will be exemplified in theconstruction hereinafter set forth, and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the folowing claims. I

In the accompanying drawing, wherein 1s shown one of various possible embodiments of this invention, Figure 1 1s a diagrammatic view showing an electric elevator system with such parts of the present invention applied thereto as are necessary to -understand itsoperation; Figs. 2 and 3 are-views, partly in section, at right angles to each other, of a preferred form of door contact.

, *Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the different views of the drawings,

\Vhile the present invention is herein illus trated and described witlrreference to a safety device particularly applicableto elecelevators, it is, of course, to be under- Specification of Letters Patent.

stood that the device may be applied to other forms of vehicles, as subway trains, with but slight changes in the arrangement of parts. 1 It is likewise to be understood that where;

the term GlGVltOP-CHI' or car is used in the claims, it is not to be limited to the form of vehicle herein shown.

heferring to the drawings in detail, and particularly to Fig. 1, 1 represents a generator or other source of electrical power, connected by suitable wiring with the building or place of installation of the elevator. A master switch 2 is provided in this circuit for completely shutting off the current supply from both the safety circuit and hoisting means when the elevator is to be stopped for the night, for example. Adjacent the master switch 2 is another circuit forming the door circuit, one part 3 of which passes to a point in the elevator shaft substantially half the height of the building, Where it is connectedby a flexible cable with an elevator car 4. l Vithin the car is a normally closed push button switch 5, from which leads asecond wire backthrough the flexible cableto each of a plurality of gate contacts 6, one located at each floor. These gate contacts are normally open, asshown,

for example, on the first and third floors of the diagram, but areso constructed, as will be hereinafter explained more in detail as to close the circuit the moment any door 7 is opened, as shown on the sec0nd,floor of'the diagram. It is thus, seen that when the circuit is closed by any one of the gate contacts, the second terminal of which is connected with a wire 8 running to a solenoid H, the solenoid will be energized, thereby cates the controller onthe car, 26 the car motor, and 27 the control device which-includes I control magnets 28, :29, 30 and 31. As here.

shown, there are four of these control magnets, two of them, .as 28 and 29 being known q as up magnets, and two of them, as 30 and 31, being known as down magnets. One arrangement of accelerating devices is shown at 32, the functlonof whlch 1s to'start the elevator motor gradually in the desired direction.

Referring to the solenoid more in detail,

At the upper part of the solenoid is a small stationary part 17 of the. core adapted to act as a buffer when the core is suddenly raised, by the energizing of the solenoid. A

small disk 18'of a diameter less than that of the core is preferably interposed between the parts 15 and 17 to prevent a flattening 15 and spreading of the ends ,of the 'contacting metals.

Each door contact, Fig. 1, comprises a base 19 of insulating material, at-one end of which is a. terminal clip 20 connected with 20 the wire from the flexible cable, adapted to receive the end of a pivoted knife switch 21 secured to a second terminal 22 connected to the wire 8. A spring 23-connected with the switch blade 21 and the base 19 tends to 25 keen the'switch in closed position. A block of insulating material 24: is normally engaged by the door 7 when closed, to hold the switch in open position against the tension of the spring. As soon, however, as the door is opened an inch or more, the switch will immediatelyv close the circuit under the action of the spring'23. i e

The push button 5 within the car 'isforthe purpose of breaking the door circuit to deenergize the solenoid- 9 should the operator of the car at any time desire to move the elevator, and at the same time permit the door to remain open, as, for example, when a door accidentally becomes open a car would be otherwise suspended between floors, or when it is desired to have a workman get on top of the car for the purpose of making repairs. The carbon contacts at the switch 10 complete the circuit through the elevator control circuit, wherebythe car may be moved up and down-at will by the motor connected in the motor ,circuit 13.

In Figs. 2 and 3 is shown a modified form of door contact. In this modification a lug 36'ispivotally mounted at 37 in one corner of rectangular metallic box 38. ilhislug 36 carries a knife switch 39 adapted to coact with ,two terminal clips 40 and 41 to coinlete' a circuit from one to the other in the manner above described in connection with the modification shown in Fig.1. A spring 42 normally holds the switch in closed position'and'is adapted to be compressed when the circuit is broken as the door is opencd.

If at any time it is desired to disconnect thesafety door circuit and operate the cars in the us'ualmanncr without the safety device, the lug 36 of this form of door contact maybe raised until a hole 4-3 therein rcgis-- ters With a hole lei in the cover the casing circuit and deenergizing the whereby the switch 1.0closes the motor-con- 105 widely ditt'crent enibodiinents. of th 51%. A in or nail is inserted through thes. registering holes which holds the knife switch 39 out of contact with the terminals 40 and 41, thus maintaining a broken circuit. at all times.

As herein shown the safety door circuit may be a. branch or shunt circuit from the main power circuit, it being assumed that in the modification shown the voltage of. the

power circuit is insufficiently high to cause an appreciable arc, as the contacts are broken at. any of the various places ifl tlle circuit. If, however, the systemshbitl d'be applied to a tall building in which-the voltage for driving the. motor for hoisting the so elevator-cam was much higher than in the usual lighting circuit it would then be desirable to take the current supply from an in a dependent" lighting circuit as shown in Fig. 1 insteaii'of directly from the generator 1. s5 'lhebperation of this device is substantially as follows: The elevator caris moved up and down by theaction of any electrical source of power, as a. motor, in the circuit 13 which is directlyunder the control of a second circuit 11 and 12, familiarly known as the controlling circuit. If a carisstationaa'v at one of the floors and the door 7 ope-net the gatec'ontact-ti will complete the circuit to energize the solenoid 9, thuslgireaking the" contact at the switch 10. lhis contact being broken, of course, prevents thev operation of the controlling circuit, so. that itis impossible to start the car-by movement i of the controller. As soon, however, as the ice door is closed. the door contact 6 will. move to the )osition shown on either the firstor third floor, Fig. 1, thus breaking the door Y solenoid,

trolling circuit, thus permitting the car to be started at will. As already ekplained, if it should be desiredto sart the carwhile the door is open, the push-button 5 may be depressed, thus. keepingthe circuit broken 1 10.

as 'longasit'isdcsired to move the'car. 1 The invention herein shown employs a normally open circuit, yet it is to be under stood that by reversing certain vparts a normally close-d circuit will act in asimilar 1 manner although with greater expense.

It is thus seen that this invention accoin-' plishes among others, all the objects and advantages set forth in a. practical, and simple manner: .1 I. Q As many changes could be made the 1 above construction and inany ap'pi" ently New tion could be made without departing min 1 the scope thereof, it is intended 'thatall matter contained in the above description or shownin the accompanying dra ings shall" be interpreted as iillustrativc an not in e. limiting. scnse.

it is also to be understood that the. lain-1 claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A safety system for vehicles comprising, in combination with a vehicle, an electric motor for said vehicle, a power circuit for said motor, a door controlling entrance to and egress from said vehicle, a door circuit operated by said door, a controlling device for controlling the direction and application of power through said power circuit to said motor, a control cir- ;cuit for said controlling device which includes ahand controller on the vehicle, and an electromagnetic switch for operating said control circuit and having its coils energized from said door circuit.

2. Asafety system for vehicles comprising, in combination with a vehicle, anelectric motor for said vehicle, a power circuit for said motor, a door controlling entrance to and egress from said vehicle, a door circuit operated by said door, a controlling device for controlling the direction and application of power through said power circuit to said motor, a control circuit for said controlling device to automatically start the motor gradually and to stop said motor, said control circuit including a hand controller on the vehicle, and an electromagnetic switch for operating said control circuit and having its coils energized from said door circuit. I

A safety system for vehicles comprising, in combination with a vehicle adapted to move from one station to another, an

electric motor for said vehicle, a power cir;

cuit for said motor, a door at each station controlling entrance to and egress from the vehicle, a door circuit operated by a door, an elcctro-imignetic controlling device for automatically starting the motor gradually and stopping said motor, said control circuit including a hand controller on the vehicle, and an clectro-magnetic switch for operating said control circuit and having its coils energized from said door circuit.

l. A safety system for elevators comprising, in combination with an elevator car, an electric motor for said car, a power circuit for said motor, a plurality of floor doors, a

- trol circuit, a door circuit, a contact at each door circuit operated by said doors, a controlling device for controlling the application of power through said power circuit tosaid motor, a control circuit for said con-' trolling device extending from the car to said device, a hand controller located on said car in said control circuit, and an electro magnetic switch for operating said control; circuit and having its coils energized from. said door circuit.

5. In a safety device of the character described, in combination, an elevator car, a plurality of floor doors, a door circuit, a switch at each door in'said circuit actuated by the opening and closing of the door, means for moving the elevator car, an opcrating circuit therefor, a controlling device for said operating circuit, a. controlling cir cuit. for said operating device, a manual controller located in the car and included in said controllin circuit, and means inde pendent of sai manual controller to open said controlling circuit when the door is opened.

6. In a device of the character described, in combination, an elevator car, a door at each floor, motive controlling means, a confloor adapted to be operated -by the opening of the door to operate the door circuit, and means comprising a switch device actuated through the door circuit to open said con trol circuit whereby a movement of the car is prevented when the door is open;

7. In a safety device of the character described, in combination, an elevator car, a plurality of floor doors, a door circuit, a switch at each door in said circuit actuated by the opening and closing of the door, means for movlng the elevator car, an operatin circuit therefor, an electro-mag netic controlling device. for automatically admitting current in said operating circuit gradually and cutting off said current, a cont: lling circuit for said operating device, a manual controller located in the car and "cluded in said controlling circuit, and an electroanagnetic switch in said control ling circuit having its winding in said door circuit.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY Gr. HILLMAN.

' Witnesses WM. C. PETRY. 

